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Razer typically grabs headlines with lofty guarantees or distinctive options, and the Leviathan V2 Professional is not any exception. The promise of beamforming and synthetic intelligence-powered head monitoring in a desktop soundbar is a completely new thought – on this case one which comes filled with a bigger system, extra LEDs, and the next $400 asking worth.And once more, Razer largely delivers on guarantees with a really good-sounding speaker that’s able to some extraordinarily excessive volumes, but in addition precision for conserving observe of what’s taking place in a online game, identical to a gaming headset. However as neat as that beamforming know-how sounds, PC avid gamers not often depart the optimum sound location when seated at a desk, which means although there’s something to the beamforming thought, it finally ends up not being notably essential – which reduces a really cool thought into what seems like primarily a gimmick. Razer Leviathan V2 Professional Soundbar – Design and Construct QualityIf you learn my overview of the Leviathan V2 Professional final 12 months, then there’s going to be quite a bit right here that sounds acquainted. The feel and appear of this soundbar and subwoofer are very related, as Razer used plastic elements that really feel just about the identical. The principle variations between these two soundbars goes to be seen on the highest, the place Razer made some reasonably main modifications to the management scheme on the V2 Professional. Moreover, every thing is scaled up in dimension a bit. Firstly, reasonably than only a row of primarily rectangular buttons, Razer added a management dial and adjusted the button form from rectangular to spherical. All of those new additions really feel very prime quality – particularly the brand new dial which has what I might describe as the proper degree of torque. It doesn’t spin freely neither is it too stiff; you actually really feel like you possibly can dial within the precise quantity you need. Secondly, the V2 Professional is throughout bigger and heavier than the V2. The soundbar measures 23.6 x 4.5 x 3.5 inches and weighs 5 kilos whereas the subwoofer measures 10.2 x 11.6 x 10.2 inches and weighs 11.19 kilos. The subwoofer is kind of giant, however you’ll most probably be okay with this because it spends most of its time on the ground out of sight. The soundbar, although, feels fairly massive sitting on a desk. Additionally in contrast to the unique V2, the V2 Professional doesn’t help interchangeable ft, so you possibly can’t angle it or decrease its profile. I’m a bit dissatisfied to see that function present in final 12 months’s model omitted right here. I’ve obtained a reasonably generously-sized standing desk for testing (nearly two ft deep) and after setting the V2 Professional in entrance of my monitor, you possibly can see how little house is left for my keyboard, mouse, and fingers. Granted, the stand for my monitor is form of chunky, however you’re going to want an enormous, deep desk or use monitor arms to liberate the bodily house you might want to actually benefit from the Leviathan V2 Professional. My setup right here isn’t splendid and it’s really a lot too near me. (In testing, I stood a few ft again from it). The matte end on the plastic of each the soundbar and subwoofer seems to be good, but it surely’s form of a fingerprint magnet and it’s not tremendous straightforward to wipe off. You in all probability gained’t discover these fingerprints that usually, however they’ll be there. Razer Leviathan V2 Professional Soundbar – Audio QualityRazer’s Leviathan V2 Professional is larger and the sound follows go well with: it’s a strong sounding system. I’ll say that whereas every thing concerning the V2 Professional feels giant and impactful, it does lose a few of its audio precision consequently. Out of the field, I discovered the audio high quality to be largely mids- and lows-driven. With the Razer Synapse App, you possibly can freely alter the EQ, which is nice, however I discovered that the bass can actually take over even when you flip it manner down. Equally, even cranking the highs all the best way up, I nonetheless discovered them a bit lackluster. There are some vocalists whose voices actually hit an ideal excessive pitch for me that, when rendered effectively, makes me catch my breath – Sia and Woman GaGa are nice examples of this. Those self same songs performed by way of the Razer Leviathan lack that form of nuance, however that isn’t to say that music isn’t fulfilling to hearken to, it’s simply not very detailed. Should you’re a basshead, you in all probability will love the V2 Professional. Even at low ranges, bass and lows growth by way of the soundbar and subwoofer and it doesn’t take a lot adjustment to really feel the bones of your chest and the inspiration of your own home rumble. That implies that whereas lyrics could be drowned out in music, films and video video games can really feel extraordinarily immersive. Given Razer’s viewers, this is smart. I performed a mixture of Future 2, Halo Infinite, and A Plague Story: Requiem throughout testing, and the entire time I felt duly immersed within the on-screen expertise. That is in all probability time to speak concerning the 4 audio modes that the V2 Professional helps: stereo, room fill, digital headset, and digital audio system. I discovered that the digital headset and digital speaker settings each offered the perfect listening expertise general. Room fill is a detailed third place, however I discovered myself primarily utilizing the digital headset choice after toggling between it and digital audio system for a number of hours. Whereas the digital headset mode does present the perfect encompass sound, when you’re on the lookout for an expertise that completely signifies to you the place one thing is occurring by way of audio queues, headphones are nonetheless going to be higher.Razer places a number of emphasis on its THX-certified digital encompass sound and whereas it’s fairly good for a single-direction supply, it’s not going to truly be nearly as good as precise bodily audio system on every of your ears. Nonetheless, it’s fairly spectacular and whereas I did discover my understanding of enemy route wasn’t fairly nearly as good with the V2 Professional as it’s with my favourite set of gaming cans, it’s a lot higher than I anticipated it to be. For many single-player video games, I believe this speaker does an incredible job with audio, although you won’t wish to depend on it for aggressive first-person shooters. One final thing to notice is that the V2 Professional can get loud – very, very loud. You could possibly simply fill a home with music from this one comparatively small system, which in itself is fairly spectacular. I’ll say, although, that past 50% of its most quantity, the highs begin to run away from the V2 Professional. I used to be capable of pull them again down a bit to make them extra fulfilling to hearken to (they have been beginning to break and crack), however that required that I tune them every time I modified the quantity dramatically. In follow, this actually isn’t a lot of an issue for my part. For many use instances a overwhelming majority of the time, quantity is more likely to sit across the similar 20 to 30 factors on the 100-point scale, and there the EQ stays constant. Razer Leviathan V2 Professional Soundbar – Usability and TechnologyI was fairly laborious on Razer final 12 months concerning the dearth of connectivity choices on the Leviathan V2, and I’m glad to report the scenario is barely improved this time round. Along with the USB-C port that acts as the first methodology for connecting the V2 Professional to a pc (Mac or PC, however performance on PC is significantly better because of Synapse), Razer added a 3.5mm headphone jack as effectively. Which means you possibly can connect with the V2 Professional with a pc, a headset, or by way of Bluetooth. Whereas I nonetheless would have favored to see an HDMI port (two could be the dream) on right here, particularly contemplating the $400 asking worth, I’ll not less than give Razer credit score for listening to the criticism it acquired final 12 months by giving us that headphone port and increasing its usability. I’ve to confess, I’m a sucker for RGB lighting and Razer would not disappoint right here. The V2 Professional practically doubles the variety of zones in comparison with the V2 (30 versus 18) and meaning the visible expertise is dramatically improved. Particularly with multi-color RGB preparations, the Leviathan V2 Professional seems to be improbable on a desk. It’s a major improve.As talked about, the V2 Professional provides the headline-grabbing promise of beamforming, head-tracking audio that’s powered by AI. On the entrance of the soundbar is a small infrared digicam that Razer says is able to monitoring your head in order that it may possibly ship the best audio even if you’re positioned barely out of the “candy spot.”Does it work? I really feel like the perfect I can say right here is “possibly.” The factor is, utilizing the V2 Professional how it’s designed means setting it in your desk straight in entrance of you. I don’t find out about you, however my keyboard is fairly centered to my show and the V2 Professional is positioned proper beneath my monitor. As soon as I’m in place and gaming or working, I don’t transfer a lot. Consequently, AI head monitoring isn’t going to must do a lot to maintain me in that candy spot since, effectively, I in all probability didn’t transfer out of it to start with. I did try to transfer up and down in addition to left and proper of the speaker and whereas it continued to sound fairly good, I used to be struggling to inform if it was actually doing a lot to maintain sounds ideally positioned the place they need to be in both ear if I moved inside a small quantity in entrance of my desk, and it positively wasn’t capable of do it once I moved left or proper extra dramatically. I’m positive it’s doing one thing, however once you’re utilizing the Leviathan V2 Professional as anticipated, given the slim quantity I transfer whereas gaming, the AI wouldn’t actually be requested to do a lot to start with. When pushed to the extremes, I can’t inform if it’s actually doing something. Consequently, whereas it sounds neat on paper, I really feel just like the beamforming function is extra of a gimmick and a “good to have” than a serious motive to purchase the V2 Professional.Buying GuideThe Razer Leviathan V2 Professional is obtainable from Razer for $399.99.
The Razer Leviathan V2 Professional is a great-looking desktop soundbar that generates a heat, welcoming, bass-forward sound profile and may achieve this at some impressively excessive volumes. It has a strong quantity of PC connectivity, could be very well-built, and matches proper right into a PC’s RGB setup. Whilst you in all probability gained’t discover the AI beamforming half, Razer has packed this sound system with sufficient options that there’s in all probability sufficient worth right here for the $400 asking worth.
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